


Little Comforts

by lori_yuy



Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Comfort, Corporate life, Cute, Fluff, M/M, Napping, long meetings, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25738300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lori_yuy/pseuds/lori_yuy
Summary: As the newly ascended President of Shinra Company, Rufus is finding his life to be extremely busy.  He has to smartly utilize his time during the day for little timeouts to take care of himself.Warning: Contains spoilers for the main game, please proceed with caution if you've only played the Remake.
Relationships: Rufus Shinra/Tseng
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	Little Comforts

A heavy sigh permeated the chill morning air in the posh Executive Suite. A pile of paperwork was stacked up high on top of the oversized desk, masking the person whom the sigh belonged to. It was still early and sunlight was just starting to trickle in at a low angle through the ceiling to floor windows. Rufus Shinra sat in the President's seat in the midst of it all.

He had expected there to be paperwork when he took over as President, but he hadn't predicted the sheer volume of it piled up higher than his head every single morning. Was there no efficiency with these things in the company that his late father had run? No, of course not, this was another legacy of his father's ancient ways amongst others that Rufus didn't care to list. It wasn't as if the company lacked computing resources or digital storage or infrastructure, but his father was old school and old school meant paper copies were still very much the norm. He is going to have to change that.

The sound of quiet footsteps in front of his desk pulled him away from his thoughts. He peeked around the pile of papers to see a familiar face looking back.

Ah, relief. A warm cup of coffee, cream and sugar on the side, as well as a pastry on a decorated plate and a fork was placed on his desk. The cream and sugar were mixed in with the expertise of a connoisseur and a dusting of powdered sugar suddenly appeared on top of the pastry.

A brief smile and expressive brown eyes showed before a whip of lengthy jet black hair whirled around gracefully to leave just as quickly and quietly as it had came.

"Tseng." He called out towards the retreating figure, whom paused to look back.

"I want a summary of the most noteworthy of the monthly financial reports, I'll come by around lunch time."

A nod signified the request was understood. "You have meetings starting within an hour Sir, you should eat something while you still have the chance."

With that, the Turk left.

Rufus went to work at a surprisingly efficient speed, sorting the large pile of papers in front of him into proper categories and quickly stacking them prioritized by importance using only the summary listed on top of each document's cover page. There were financial requests, weapons test reports, personnel papers from HR, lab results from various experiments, and facilities reports of Shinra properties around Gaia. He's been at this for a month now, and it was becoming easier but it wasn't any less tedious. When he finally finished, Rufus sat back and took a sip of the now cold coffee and a bite of the pastry. Why was it that sweets were the go to breakfast in Midgar again? He would rather have preferred a warm home-cooked savory meal from ...

A chime from his meeting reminder on his computer alarmed him to the urgency of time.

~...~

The executive board meetings were never his favorite, even if he had experience with them long before he became President. All the sessions in his late teens and early twenties, spending hours sitting on the board meetings, had prepared him for the onslaught of items on the agenda.

The meeting started with presentations from each department on their current work, planned future outlook, ideas, and finally a round table discussion.

Heidegger was pushing for a joint trial with Scarlet on a new piece of weapon part in development. The elderly bear of a man sported his trademark toothy grin, showing from under the large bush of his beard.

"Gyahaha, I think it's a great idea, Mr. President." the ex-general's loud voice boomed over everyone else's.

Scarlet had her eyes scanning back and forth between Heidegger and Rufus, looking for reactions.

"I think this new platform could potentially be extremely useful for Shinra. I like Director Heidegger's idea too. A cooperative training with these small scale targeting tools put on Shinra army's guns could do us wonders. I mean, the current aim record of those troops aren't exactly something to boast about...."

Heidegger shot Scarlet a nasty look, but she only plastered the signature confident smirk on her face as her eyes shot a challenging look back. The air was rife with their rivalry, but despite the facade, Rufus knew these two were joined at the hips. They had used a buddy system within the ranks of Shinra since forever to get to where they are today.

As if he could forget when the two had bundled together to try to dispose of the Turks under his father's reign about a decade ago.

"It'll be under consideration. I'll consult with finance about funding. Palmer?" Rufus quietly commanded the short man to speak.

"Uh yes Sir, the space program is still on hold as we had just talked about but you know, there might be so many resources and unexplored depths that Shinra could reach, we are still funding research at Rocket Town and I think it would be worthwhile if we get more funding to explore this route." Palmer's squeaky voice irritated Rufus more than his lengthy proposal on the presentation slides detailing his idealized budget for the space program.

"And what do you intend to do if we tried to send another rocket up to space?" Rufus asked.

"Well...we have to take the first step before anything else can be determined, Sir...."

Rufus scoffed. That would still be a waste of resources if there was no plan other than to send a man up to outside the planet and back. It wasn't lack of ambition however, but something intuitively had him reeling back when it came to space exploration since he was little and Rufus trusted his gut feelings.

"We could utilize the skills of the advanced weapons division and jointly set up a space force out there once we establish say, a colony?" Scarlet was trying for a money grab from Palmer's hands for her division now. The pathetic shorter man could only pout.

"A space force to fight what? Alien invasions?" Rufus eyed the quiet scientist sitting in the corner as he said this. 

Both Scarlet and Palmer are now sporting long faces as they realized that the funding request was a no go. To the side, a rather unsavory smile started to grace the old scientist's facial features.

"To be honest, the SOLDIER program came from an Ancient that originally was from space. Who is to say that others of her kind don't exist out there? The power from JENOVA is one of a kind. The loss of both our JENOVA sample AND our half-Ancient sample last month was truly devastating for my research efforts. I had all the samples and tests listed and set up too, could I ask the Turks to pursue her once more Mr. President?"

The scientist was trying, trying really hard but Rufus had little interest in the research of the Ancients and the Promised Land, and from what Tseng had told him, the run-away half-Ancient was not of actual use either. As for JENOVA, it was honestly disturbing that the scientists had inserted alien cells into humans to create "super soldiers" without knowing the real origins of those cells first. Ethics in the science department was never Shinra's strongpoint. The thought made Rufus shiver.

"Is lab research is still going on with the funding you currently have?"

"Oh oh yes, I'm researching pharmaceutical mixes in the meanwhile that can aid my other research."

Right...'pharmaceutical mixes'...no accidents ever came out of that before, Rufus mused with sarcasm as his eyes glanced to the only sane person in the room.

"Director Tuesti."

"We are on schedule and within budget for the Sector 7 rebuild, and I have prepared preliminary proposals for the Sector 6 rebuild, Sir." Reeve had the most heart of the executives, if you discounted Palmer.

"What is happening with the intra-plate rail system project?"

"That project unfortunately cannot proceed with Plates 6 and 7 down currently, there was also damage to Plates 1, 5, and 8 from the activities of Avalanche a few months back."

Rufus only showed a light scowl on his face to hide the fact that he had something to do with said activities. The rogue branch of Avalanche had done more damage than he imagined.

"When do we expect the downed reactors to come back online?"

"Not anytime soon for Reactor #1 since it had extensive damages, it's looking like it will need a rebuild at the reactor core. Reactor #5 will only need minor repairs, so my estimate is within a couple of weeks."

"Very good. I'll take a look at your proposal for Sector 6. Is there anything else anyone would like to bring up?"

A silence greeted him in the meeting room as Reeve pushed the folder with the proposal to his side.

"If nothing else, meeting adjourned." He was starting to sound like his father.

~...~

Lunch time came around faster than he had imagined. Meetings always made things slow down in the moment but by the time he was done with them, he finally realizes how much time has passed. Rufus let out a stretch he'd been wanting to do for the last couple of hours and watched as the Executives made their way out of the conference room.

11:50...the meeting had cut 20 minutes into normal lunch hours. He waved a hand to dismiss the security guards outside of the conference room as he stepped out. They seemed relieved after having to stand there for several hours. The other conference rooms were empty as he walked towards the exit. The Executive secretary greeted him at the end of the hallway.

"Sir, would you like me to order you some lunch?" She was polite as usual.

"No, I had other plans for today. However, please get something for yourself." She bowed to him and made her exit.

Rufus hated the fact that his father had utilized his position within the company to conduct less than professional relationships with previous secretaries, resulting in two half-brothers that he had little relations to. Rufus made sure to keep that aspect of his life clean, well, as clean as he could with Scarlet constantly attempting to shove her breasts in his face. There was one thing he did allow himself a little indulgence on, but it was a secret to most.

The lady in charge of cafeteria sales stared with an open mouth as President Rufus Shinra himself walked up to the counter. This was a rare sight for many within the cafeteria and the sounds of chatter ceased as people realized who had stepped in.

"Two sandwich specials of the day and two bottles of mixed berry juice, to go please. Oh and three cans of coffee."

"Yes Sir!" She responded in kind as she bagged the food, drinks, utensils, and napkins with practiced skill. She threw in a couple of mini chocolate tarts and cookies on a whim. Everyone wanted to get on his good side, Rufus thought with amusement.

As he turned around, he saw three familiar figures clad in black suits at a corner table following his movements with their collective eyes. He winked at them before turning to head to his destination.

The Shinra rumor machine was alive and well as soon as the President had left the cafeteria.

"Wasn't that President Rufus Shinra?"

"Yeah..."

"The cafeteria server said he got two sets of lunch!"

"TWO??"

"Who's the lucky lunch partner??"

The floating voices and whispers reached the corner table where the Turks were having lunch. All of them had ears perked up. Company rumors like this were closely monitored by the Turks as a matter of precaution.

Elena looked around the table. "So....who IS the lucky person?"

Reno and Rude paused from their food to answer her. "Nobody romantic." they said in unison.

Elena stuck out her tongue at her seniors when she heard something else.

"Rumor's that the President's got a girl with long dark hair."

"Where'd you hear that? I'd have thought all the Shinras would like blonds."

"Because someone saw a long strand of dark hair on his jacket once. Also, people can like whomever and he's the President so he definitely has his pick. Think it might be that hot executive secretary?"

"Hmm..now that you mention it, she does have dark hair and I bet it's actually long because it's bunned up."

Elena gave the two senior Turks a piece of her mind.  
"Nobody romantic huh? Tell me, do you guys know who this might be already?"

Reno and Rude shrugged and kept slurping down their spaghetti.

"Hey! I thought keeping tabs on internal rumors was our job too?" They didn't looked up again from their pasta to answer her.

Now the rumors of the secretary was being passed around the cafeteria room, that is until the lady herself showed up a couple of minutes later and ordered lunch for herself. The buzz of that rumor died down after that. Elena sucked on her carton of apple juice and chewed on the straw as she contemplated what just happened. Not the secretary then.

"Rookie, eat your lunch, I'm gonna work ya to the bones this afternoon ya know." Reno threatened but then got a spray of apple juice aimed at his face.

~...~

The elevator's chime signalled his arrival. Two minutes down the hall brought him up to the inconspicuous door that was almost unnoticeable. He badged himself in. Tseng was huddled at his desk over a pile of papers, not disssimilar to what Rufus had on his desk earlier that morning. Empty coffee cans already lined one side of the desk. Rufus shook his head. Maybe he shouldn't have gotten the extra coffee.

Tseng looked up from his work as he heard the door opening. Rufus strolled in with a rather large bag.

"I made sure my people were sent out on lunch break Sir."

"Yes I saw them in the cafeteria on the way here."

"Would you like to eat now?" A few sandwiches, some juice, and a random assortment of tarts and cookies were being laid out on what little free space remained on his desk.

Tseng couldn't help but smile a little. Whenever Rufus wanted to have lunch together, he always made it feel like they were going on a picnic.

Rufus pulled up one of the chairs from the conference style desk up to the large executive style desk. This was probably the only other desk within the Shinra building that could match his own's size. Rufus put down the coffee on the other end of the table.

They quickly took their lunch as Tseng mulled over the piles of papers in front of him, organizing several into a folder.

"How did the meetings go today Sir? Did Scarlet give you any more trouble?" Tseng asked out of courtesy, and because Rufus looked like he was a bit on edge.

"As well as it could go and don't remind me of her. I'm fine, just a little tired. Reports." Rufus commanded as he stuffed a chocolate tart into his mouth and then popped one into Tseng's mouth.

"OOMMPH." Tseng was not expecting the sweet but swallowed it after chewing a couple of times.

"Sir, let's get comfortable first, there's quite a few reports in here." Tseng pulled Rufus up from his seat and guided him towards the large sofa. Rufus hummed in agreement and both sat down on the oversized seater.

"The finance department reported that the Department of Public Security had overrun its budget again last month."

"Why? What is Heidegger doing with the money?"

"I believe it had to do with the casualties caused by Avalanche's activities at the Sector 7 pillar." Tseng paused when he noticed Rufus's sudden change of expression at the mention of Sector 7.

"Ah....go on."

"The Advanced Weapons Division suffered a similar loss of property in both reactors 1 and 5. Therefore, Scarlet had requested for extra budget beyond what they've got now for repairs and parts replacements. There was also a request for funding for current research on targeting aids for guns used by the Shinra army."

Rufus nodded and informed Tseng that the subject was touched upon during the board meeting. "I'd like you to look into a proper budget for that."

"Yes sir...although I don't think that would solve the actual problem."

Rufus laughed out loud. "Heidegger's troops just have piss-poor aim no matter how much aid you give them, is that it Director?" 

Tseng's lips turned up slightly. Rufus gets his sense of humor. Tseng acknowledged his concern and continued through the stack of reports.

Soon enough, Rufus had leaned his head against his shoulder and clasped an arm around his waist as he kept reading in his calm voice. By the time Tseng got through the 8th report, he noticed a light snore coming from his shoulder. Rufus had fallen asleep. He put the reports down and grabbed the nearby blanket. Shiva knows how cold they turned the AC down in this building. Something about electronic equipment not liking heat, the facilities manager had told him when Tseng complained about it a long time ago.

Tseng spread the blanket over Rufus then wrapped an arm around Rufus's lower back as he laid against Tseng's chest, hair rubbing against Tseng's cheek as he slept. Rufus was still very much the child Tseng had watched grow up after all these years despite taking on his current role and responsibilities. It was evident that the President's early morning routine was starting to take a toll. Tseng glanced at the cans of coffee that Rufus had brought. Nah, he's had enough caffine for the day. That decision soon had himself dozing off comfortably wrapped in the blanket with Rufus in his arms.

~...~

The spaghetti special was Reno and Rude's favorite despite the fact that it was messy to eat. Rude's shirt was all black so no stains would ever show on it, Reno...Reno just had to wipe down his bare chest after eating, something Elena is still trying to get used to and something she constantly teases Reno about. Their lunch break was now over and the three were heading back after watching a petty fight in the cafeteria between Scarlet and a grunt troop.

Reno was the first to poke his head into the office. As soon as he did, however, he turned back around, bumping head first into Rude's chest. Rude raised his brows up at his partner's sudden change of directions then peeked over Reno's head.

On the sofa near the wall, Rufus was curled up in Tseng's lap, looking to be asleep with his head propped against Tseng's shoulder. A blanket that they kept in the office was draped over him. Tseng was sitting up, long strands of hair loose from the usual half-up tie, looking at his phone. 

Rude would be kidding himself if he said Tseng didn't look beautiful with his hair down like that, not that Reno was far behind in terms of looks. Tseng was effeminate and almost nymph-like when not in work mode, but scary as hell when in Turk mode.

Tseng gave the three a cursory glance as he heard the door open and placed a finger to his lips telling them to keep hush. Reno, turning his head while nestled against Rude's large form, sent a two-fingered salute and a wink to the duo on the couch before giving his partner another push. Rude turned around now too and put both his hands on Elena's shoulders to spin her around just as she was stepping up behind him.

"Where are you going?" Elena was too short to have seen what was going on.

"WE are going on patrol around the building for awhile." Reno replied as he put a hand behind her back to guide her the other way.

Elena turned her head once more before the door closed and saw the leftover food on the desk and the shadows of her two bosses on the couch. Suddenly the rumors in the cafeteria and the pieces of the puzzle that Reno and Rude dropped at lunch made sense. The scene behind her was actually romantic and cute as heck, but ironically Tseng could accurately be described as "nobody romantic".

Tseng smiled as the three retreated. He could always count on his fellow Turks to give him space and some quietness. He could use another miniature nap himself. Tseng pulled Rufus closer and guided him to lay down on the sofa against his chest. Rufus heaved a small sigh of contentment as he felt himself being shifted. He was actually awake now but he wanted to stay like this a little longer. Little comforts like this were all they could afford during a busy workday afterall.

**Author's Note:**

> It feels so nice to write about domestic Tseng/Rufus in a hectic corporate life setting. 
> 
> I wanted to show the softer, more caring side of their relationship where they show love with small gestures rather than with explicit sexual acts.


End file.
